


Tested

by superallens



Category: The Fosters (TV 2013)
Genre: Body Image, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-24
Updated: 2015-06-24
Packaged: 2018-04-05 22:22:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4197180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/superallens/pseuds/superallens
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Connor comes home crying and Jude doesn't want to push it. (college AU)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tested

**Author's Note:**

> Loosely based off of Season 5, Episode 16 ("Tested") of Glee and a prompt on Tumblr.

The door slammed shut as Connor bolted into his apartment. Connor and his boyfriend, Jude, were in their second year of college. During the summer, they decided to rent out an apartment together for that “home away from home” feel. 

Jude got out of his classes at noon on Thursdays, so he had been tidying up the place and had just laid down on the couch in their small living room. He was just starting to doze off when he heard the door slam. 

“Connor?” Jude called out softly. As he was stretching out on the couch, he heard the door to their bedroom door slam shut. Jude sighed, knowing it was best to leave Connor alone when it came to his tantrums. At least until Connor came to Jude. 

Jude hauled himself off the couch and sauntered over to the fridge. He grabbed one of the cups drying next to the sink before filling the cup with water. He sleepily drifted back to the couch, taking a sip of his water and set it down on a coaster. Jude had developed the habit of putting down a coaster when Mariana went through a “do-it-yourself” phase in high school and she had everyone use her homemade coasters for everything.

Cozying up into the fuzzy throw blanket, Jude relaxed into the couch and took out his phone. The boy has already finished up his classwork for his classes the next day so there was nothing he wanted more than to lay around and be lazy for a little bit. 

What felt like hours passed before Jude set down his phone. In the thirty minutes he was laying there, he finally beat his high score on Bejeweled. It’s taken him months to even attempt to get to his old score, but he finally did it. To say the boy felt accomplished was an understatement. 

Jude was about to slip his phone back into the pocket of his sweatpants, but his phone buzzed to life. One text notification appeared. He smiled softly when he saw it was from Connor.

 

Text From: Connor  
hi

 

Jude’s eyebrows furrowed at the simple text. He tapped away at his phone before typing a quick response. 

 

To: Connor  
is everything okay?

 

The boy in the room over responded almost immediately.

 

From: Connor  
not really, im not okay

 

To: Connor  
do you want me to come to the room?

 

From: Connor  
please…

 

And with that, Jude dropped his phone on the sofa and bolted to their shared room. The duo figured that there was no point in getting a two bedroom place when they’d probably just crawl into bed with one another at some point during the night. They figured it’d save them more money in the long run just to get a one bedroom place.

Jude softly knocked at the door before opening it. The sight before him nearly broke his heart.

His boyfriend was curled up at the end of the queen sized bed, hair astray, shaking, and tears streaming down his face.

“Connor…” Jude whispered before softly closing the door behind him. He quietly crawled onto the bed next to Connor, sitting Indian style. Connor peered up at Jude, his lip quivering, before throwing himself onto his boyfriend. Jude quickly wrapped his arms around Connor, stroking the back of his neck.

“It’s okay, you don’t need to tell me what’s wrong… Just… Just get it all out, it’s alright,” Jude murmured, rubbing tiny circles on Connor’s back. The older boy shook in the younger’s arms.

Jude pulled away from his boyfriend, immediately holding his face in his palms. Using his thumb, he wiped the tears from Connor’s face. Connor shut his eyes and took a deep breath in.

“I’m s-s-sorry,” Connor’s voice cracked at the ’s’, which led to Connor breaking into another round of hysterics. Jude pulled Connor into his lap and let him bury his head into his shoulder. Jude was slightly taller than Connor now, making this position more comfortable than it used to be. 

“It’s alright, Con,” Jude soothed. Jude placed a kiss on the top of Connor’s head.

“It’s the team,” Connor whispered. He fell down onto the pillows behind him and curled up into a ball once more. Connor was on their college’s baseball team. It is what he got a scholarship for. 

Jude laid down beside him and wrapped him arms around Connor’s front. They were like a big spoon and a little spoon, perfectly meshed together. Jude was the big spoon and Connor was the little spoon. 

“No, Jude, stop,” Connor whispered, wiggling out of Jude’s hold. 

“What happened with the team?” Jude asked, lowering his voice to Connor’s level. “Please look at me.”

Connor turned over so he could make eye contact with his boyfriend. His eyes with freshly coated with tears.

“I’m nothing compared to them.”

“Connor, you’re such a good player, don’t even doubt yourself on-”

“It’s not like that!”

“What is this about then?”

“My body alright!” Jude stared at Connor confused. Connor was in great shape, he was perfect.

“Stop looking at me like that.”

“I’m sorry, I just, I just don’t understand Connor. You’re beautiful.”

“You’re kind of obligated to say that since you’re my boyfriend.”

“I don’t lie to you.”

“I just can’t keep up with them. I’m so much slower and it’s affecting my body. Jude, I don’t fit into my old stuff anymore.”

“That’s why it’s called old. You’ve gained a lot of muscle with all that training.”

“I’m just not happy, okay?” Connor replied in a hushed tone, a single tear rolling down his cheek. Jude sighed, wiping it away. Connor looked away from the boy next to him in shame. He hated looking weak in front of his boyfriend. 

“Connor, Connor! Look at me… if there is anything, and I mean anything I could do to make you feel better, I would do it in a heart beat. If you want me to hold you, I’m here. If you want me to kiss you, I’m here. Hell, if you want me to go running with you, I will! We all know how much I hate running, but I’d do anything so we can get through this together. You are gorgeous and you deserve to finally be able to see that for yourself.”

Connor smiled softly before breaking into tears again.

“I love you,” Connor whispered in between sobs.

“I love you too,” Jude whispered back.

And there they laid, Connor curled into Jude’s chest, soaking his already damp shirt. Jude decided right then and there that his goal was to make sure that Connor never felt like this again. He never wanted him to feel worthless, unloved, or useless. He never wanted him to go a day without smiles, laughter, happiness, kisses, hugs, or simple a “I love you”.

Because if there was one thing that he learned from his moms, it was that DNA doesn’t make a family, love does. And Connor was part of his family.


End file.
